Timothy Hackworth

Timothy Hackworth (1786-1850) turned steam locomotives into a reliable commercial success.

1757-1822

Introduction

Timothy Hackworth (1786-1850) turned steam locomotives from a brilliant concept into a reliable commercial success. He is the man we have to thank for bringing mobility, jobs, and better lives to countless millions of people worldwide.

TIMOTHY Hackworth was locomotive superintendent on the Stockton and Darlington Railway, the world’s first public railway using steam locomotives, from its opening in 1825. His task was to keep the line’s primitive steam locomotives running and earning revenue.

Often overshadowed by his larger-than-life employer, George Stephenson, Hackworth was the man who made railways reliable.

As the industrial world looked on, his ‘Royal George’ and a succession of no-nonsense 0-6-0s established railways as commercially viable, and laid down principles of locomotive engineering that would last until the end of the steam age.*

In 1840, he founded the Soho Engine Works at Shildon, where his Christian principles - he was a Methodist preacher with a fondness for humorous anecdotes - inspired him to build a model village for himself and his employees.

Hackworth’s work had never been about personal glory, only shared achievement. That is why he is often forgotten — and why he should be remembered.

An 0-6-0 locomotive has no small wheels at the front, six large driving wheels in the middle, and no trailing wheels at the back.

Précis
More than anyone else, Timothy Hackworth was responsible for convincing the leaders of Britain’s Industrial Revolution that steam locomotives were the motive power of the future, turning Stephenson’s brilliant experiments into reliable workhorses. He was also among the first of many Victorian industrialists whose Christian faith inspired them to improve the living and working conditions of those they employed.
Sevens

Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.

Why was the Stockton and Darlington Railway important?

Jigsaws

Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.

Algol is in the constellation Perseus. Perseus was a mythical Greek hero. He slew the Gorgon Medusa.

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